Tractor



m0 odeL EDWARDS.

TRACTOR.

Patented Apn 15, 1890.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

GEORGE H. EDWVARDS, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

TRACTOR.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 425,664, dated April 15, 1890.

Application filed July 11, 1889. Serial No, 317,244:- (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE H. EDWARDS, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented acertain .new and useful Improvement in Tractors, of which the following is aspecification.

My invention relates to tractors involving an endless slatted belt or track which is provided alongits inner side with afolding truss and arranged to pass about a set of truck wheels whereof one or more of the wheels are geared to the endless track and one ormore of said wheels driven from an engine or other suitable motor, so that during operation the wheels may roll upon an endless track, which, by reason of the jointed folding truss, will throughout its lower leaf be rigid as against upward pressure, and hence pro vide a broad area of bearing-surface which will lie upon the ground and sustain the weight, which will be distributed throughout said area of the lower leaf.

The object of my invention is to provide a folding truss for the purpose aforesaid with a simple construction of inner chord, and, further, to render said chord adjustable in length.

In carrying out my invention, I form the inner chord-links of chains, and also. adj ustably attach said chains to the strut-braces, as hereinafter set forth.

In the drawings, Figure 1 represents in elevation a pair of wheels with an endless trussed track embodying my invention applied thereto. Fig. 2 shows one of the strutbraces in perspective on a somewhat larger scale.

Fig. 3 shows a portion of the truss with the chain-links connected with the strutbraoes by adjustable attachments.

A indicates the endless slatted track, and B B a couple of wheels, about which the end, less slatted track is arranged to pass, it being understood that the said wheels are to be geared to said track in any suitable way. The strut-braces G are flanged at their outer ends, so that they can be conveniently bolted to the slats of the endless track, and the flanges of said strut-braces are to be hinged together, as indicated, or in any suitable way. The inner chord comprises a series of chordlinks D, each consisting of a short chain attached at its ends to the inner ends of two adjacent strut-braces. By such arrangement thechains will slaoken up, so that the truss can fold along such portions of the endless slatted track as may be passing about the wheels, while on the other hand said chains will be drawn taut when the truss is unfolded to the required extent.

In Fig. 3 each chain chord-link D is at one end attached to one strut-brace in any suitable way and at its opposite end attached to the next brace by an adjustable connectionsuch as by an eyebolt clwhich extends through the brace and carries a nut. By such arrangement the eyebolts can be adjusted by turning the nuts and thereby the extent of unfolding action on the part of the truss determined.

What I claim as my invention is 1. The combination, with an endless trussed slatted track, for the purpose set forth, of the inner chord-links of the folding truss composed of chains, substantially as described.

2. The combination, with an endless trussed slatted track, for the purpose set forth, of the inner chord-links of the folding truss composed of chains attached to the strut-braces by adjustable connections, substantially as described.

I GEORGE II. EDIVARDS.

WVitnesses:

GHAs. G. PAGE, A. Comics. 

